Dance of The Damned
by SithelfJen
Summary: Ichabod Crane's life and death in the Western Woods. Part One Light slash


Dance of the Damned By JenniferBC Fandom: Sleepy Hollow Pairing: Ichabod/Horsemen Rating: PG 15. Slash. Some people die, nothing to graphic Disclaimer: Washington Irving wrote, Disney made it into a cartoon, Tim Burton directed it.  
What does this mean? I don't own any of it.  
Feedback: I live for feedback. Warnings: This is a slash story. If the idea of two men kissing upsets you, bail now. Flames will be laughed at and you'll be the victim in my next story.  
Archive: Sure, just tell me where so I can visit.  
Authors notes: Not beta'd .AU. This is based on the book version where Crane is a school master not a constable, but JD plays Ichabod Crane, and the Horsemen has a head. No fainting here ;-)  
  
Ichabod Crane, the current school master of Sleepy Hollow, slowly made his way through the Western Woods, towards his temporary home with the Mead family. The night air was crisp and cold. He shivered, and drew his cloak closer to his body. Several people had commented after supper that they could smell the snow in the air, and when he had asked how that was possible,  
they had merely laughed at him, making him feel like a fool.  
  
Ichabod sighed has he stared up at the night sky. The moon was a faint silvery scar in the night sky and a million stars glittered like diamonds. He inhaled deeply and suddenly smiled: he could smell the snow in the cold air. He laughed out loud, enjoying his new found knowledge.  
  
There was a noise on the left side of the woods.  
  
Without his urging, Gunpowder stopped and whined nervously. He twisted around in his saddle, peering into the woods, cursing his eyesight and cursing the darkness.  
  
"Who's there? Show yourself!" Ichabod called out willing his voice not shake, gripping the reins tightly. The story that Brom Van Brunt had told earlier that night about the Headless Horseman echoed in his mind.  
  
Silence answered him. He waited several minutes, then ruefully shook his head. There was nothing there, just his over active imagination playing tricks on him. He urged Gunpowder on,  
vowing not to look over his shoulder. They had gone about one hundred yards when the noise came again on his left side of the woods. Again, Gunpowder stopped with his urging.  
  
"I do not find this funny. Show yourself at once." Ichabod shouted into the woods. A trickle of sweat rolled down his face. There was a rustle from the underbrush and a fox ran across the road with a plump rabbit in its jaws. Ichabod left out a sigh of relief and sagged in his saddle has the fox disappeared into the darkness. Laughing at himself, he urged Gunpowder onward. He started to hum a song, swaying to a music he could only hear.  
  
There was a noise behind him.  
  
Ichabod twisted around in the saddle and felt the blood drain from his face. Standing in the middle of the pathway was a huge black horse, it's red rimmed eyes glittering madly in the dim moonlight. Astride the horse, was the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow. There was a steely hiss has the horsemen drew his sword and nudged his horse forward into a cantor.  
  
"I am coming for you Ichabod Crane."  
  
"RUN!"  
  
Gunpowder needed no further urging and ran has fast has he could. It was all that Ichabod could do was to hold on for dear life and prayed that Gunpowder didn't throw him or the Horseman didn't catch him. He risked a look over his shoulder, and realized in horror that the Horsemen was less than five yards away, reaching for him.  
  
"You will die tonight Ichabod Crane."  
  
Gunpowder suddenly squeal in agony, the snapping of his foreleg clearly audible and Ichabod was thrown from the horse. He screamed in pain, feeling several bones break when he landed on the cold hard ground as the Horseman thundered past him. Helpless, he stared up at the night sky. Blood dripped down his face and dribbled from his mouth. In the back round he could hear Gunpowder crying in pain. He tried to move but his body refused to obey him. Dimly he could hear voices. He closed his eyes.  
  
"Damn horse broke its leg on the uneven ground."  
  
"This was a stupid idea in the first place."  
  
"What are we going to do?"  
  
Ichabod manage to open an eye when he sensed that someone was standing over him. Brom Van Brunt, dressed has the headless Horseman stared down at him. He tried to speak but no sound emerged.  
  
"His back is broken, along with his leg and arm and there are internal injuries." Brom said in a detached voice. "There's nothing we can do for him." He looked at his friends who were watching him nervously, clearly waiting for him to tell them what to do. "We will leave him here and I will come back here tomorrow morning and 'find' his body. Everyone will assume that he died from his injuries when he was thrown form his horse." The young men nodded in relief and quickly mounted their horses. They were gone within moments leaving a dying man behind raging at the injustice of it all.  
  
Ichabod had no idea how much time had passed. Dark black clouds covered the sky, blotting out the moon. Gunpowder had stopped moving along time ago. His body was slowly going numb, which was a relief due to the amount of pain he was in. He felt rather than saw another horse riding down the path. The horse snorted in surprise and he could hear the rider dismount and walk towards him.  
"Please help me." The winds carried his words away. A warm hand brushed against his cheek,  
then took his hand, and he found the strength to open his eyes. He looked up at the rider. A man wearing black leather. He had pale-skin, wild hair and teeth filed down to sharpest of fangs, and eerie blue eyes. The legendary Horseman of Sleepy Hollow stared down at him.  
  
"How did this happen?" The words were spoken slowly, in heavily accented English.  
  
Haltingly, Ichabod told the Horseman what had transpired that night. The chase through the woods, Gunpowder breaking his leg, Van Brunt's cold indifference to his injuries and his plan to find his dead body tomorrow morning.  
  
"Those bastards left me here to die." Ichabod choked out, shaking violently. "I wish..."  
  
"What do you wish for?" Something began to glitter in the Horseman's eyes. "Tell me!"  
  
"Dead. I want them dead, especially Brom, and to Hell with the consequences." Ichabod spat out gripping the Horseman's hand tightly. "I want him dead and I want to be there when it happens."  
  
"I can grant you this wish human, but there is a high price to pay for what you are asking. You will be tied to me and to these woods for all time."  
  
A bloody hand touched the Horseman's face stroking the warm skin. "Yes."  
  
The Horseman smiled revealing his pointed teeth and lean down, blocking out the night sky until the only Ichabod could see were the Horseman's silvery blue eyes. Warm lips kissed his cold ones and numbness started to recede, replaced by a fiery warmth and the entire world faded away. 


End file.
